The Supreme Court will today, August 23, 2024, deliver judgement in the appeal brought before it by Chief Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging the election of Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Diri was declared the winner of the November 11, 2023, Bayelsa State Governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
On Monday, the apex court reserved judgement in the disputed case after hearing arguments from counsels involved in the matter.
At the hearing on Monday, Governor Diri, through his lawyer, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), asked the apex court to dismiss Sylva's appeal brought before it, saying it lacked merit.
He insisted that Sylva’s appeal was nothing to consider as there were no witnesses or documents to support his petition, stressing that the appeal was devoid of merit and should be dismissed.
Also, counsel to INEC, Charles Edoshomwan, and that of the PDP, Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), supported the call for the dismissal of the appeal for lacking in merit.
But Sylva, through his lawyer Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), prayed the apex court to set aside the judgments of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition and that of the Court of Appeal which had earlier dismissed his petition.
Specifically, Sylva asked the court to invalidate the declaration of Diri by INEC as the winner of the governorship election and declare him as the lawful winner.
The five-man panel of the apex court headed by Justice Garba Lawal after listening to the arguments from the lawyers involved reserved judgment.
Meanwhile, there is palpable tension in the state between members of the PDP and their APC counterparts following the announcement of the Supreme Court judgement slated for Friday as both parties are optimistic of a favourable outcome.
While supporters of the PDP believe that the court will uphold the decision of the lower courts, those of the APC are in jubilant mood that the judgement of the lesser courts will be upturned.
The case, which comes up at 10am, will put to rest the long drawn legal battle between Diri and Sylva, which started last year. It will also be the last matter to be decided from the gubernatorial election.
